Jackson Man Sentenced Under Project EJECT to Over Five Years in Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Jackson, Miss. – Johnathan Lewis, 27, of Jackson, was sentenced today by Senior U.S. District Judge William H. Barbour, Jr. to 64-months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, announced U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

On November 7, 2017, a Jackson Police officer was dispatched to the Studio 7 Hotel on Interstate 55 North for a report of shots fired. Once on the scene, the officer stopped a car driven by Johnathan Lewis. The officer found Lewis in possession of a 9 mm pistol and drugs.

Lewis was previously convicted in 2014 in the Fulton County Superior Court of Atlanta, Georgia, for the felony offenses of robbery, terroristic threats, obstruction and simple battery. He was also convicted in the Circuit Court of Hinds County for felony offenses of possession of counterfeit currency and grand larceny.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Jackson Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Abe McGlothin, Jr. and Keesha D. Middleton.

This case is part of Project EJECT, an initiative by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). EJECT is a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to fighting and reducing violent crime in Jackson through prosecution, prevention, re-entry and awareness. EJECT stands for "Empower Jackson Expel Crime Together." PSN is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.